


Safety First

by aodhoceanus



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Head of the Institute Alec Lightwood, High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane, Implied Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland - Freeform, Jace Wayland Cannot Drive, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-03-10 07:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13497118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aodhoceanus/pseuds/aodhoceanus
Summary: “Wait,” Magnus said, holding up a hand to halt his words, “you got in a car whenJacewas driving?”“Yes,” Alec replied, looking a little sheepish.Sometimes, Alec's desire to see his boyfriend causes him to take unnecessary risks.





	Safety First

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DragonBread](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonBread/gifts).



> This fic was inspired by the lovely and talented [Wrye](http://softsteverogers.tumblr.com/), who sent me the dialogue prompt “You could have died." Kudos to you, my friend, for giving me the extra little push I needed to get back into writing fanfiction!

“Hey.” It was a simple greeting, one that Magnus had heard that same voice utter a thousand times before, and yet no amount of repetition could change the way his heart warmed at the sound. 

“Hey,” he replied, setting the open jar of boneset root down on his worktable and turning to greet Alec as he ambled into the room. The quick kiss Alec pressed against his lips was like another, softer hello, and he could feel himself relaxing at the touch. “You’re home early,” he commented, still smiling as they parted.

Alec shrugged slightly, lips curving bashfully upward as his hand lingered for a moment on Magnus’s shoulder. “I got a ride.”

“From the Institute?” There were a handful of people in their lives that Magnus considered capable of operating a motor vehicle, and absolutely  _none_  of them were Shadowhunters.

“Yeah. Simon was visiting again, and— I’m sorry,” Alec said, brow furrowing as he noticed the bubbling cauldron behind Magnus, the vials and jars of potion ingredients strewn across the table, “I interrupted you while you were working, didn’t I.”

Magnus dismissed his concern with a wave of his hand. “It’s fine; it’s just a simple healing potion, nothing time-sensitive. Simon gave you a ride?”

“In a manner of speaking?” Alec sighed. “Unfortunately Jace overheard and claimed he had business at the Jade Wolf—which he definitely doesn’t, because he gets all his assignments from me, and with everything that’s been going on lately I’ve been trying to keep him  _out_  of Downworlders’ business.”

“A smart move,” Magnus noted. Between his accidentally activating the Soul-Sword, and the short-lived but notorious project of chipping werewolves, Jace wasn’t exactly the most popular person among the Downworlders.

“Anyway, Jace decided that  _he_  was going to drive us all to Brooklyn, and for some  _bizarre_ reason Simon actually  _let_  him. I swear something is going on with those two. I mean, Simon is unreasonably fond of his van, and he  _knows_  Jace can’t drive, and yet—”

“Wait,” Magnus said, holding up a hand to halt his words, “you got in a car when  _Jace_  was driving?”

“Yes,” Alec replied, looking a little sheepish.

“Alexander! You could have  _died!_  What on earth could possess you to do such a thing?”

“I missed you,” Alec said simply, and Magnus could feel his heart melt a little at the soft, earnest look in his eyes. The shadowhunters had all been busy lately, and with Alec still settling into his role as Head of the New York Institute, that meant a lot of late nights at work. Sometimes, the only time Magnus saw him was when he collapsed into bed at night.

“I missed you too,” he murmured, “but that doesn’t mean you need to risk your life to get here. Next time give me a call and I can portal over and pick you up. Or, I don’t know, take the subway or something.”

“That probably  _would_  be faster,” Alec admitted. “The traffic in the city is terrible.”

“So I hear.”

Alec’s gaze flickered back to the cauldron bubbling away on Magnus’s worktable. “Shall I let you get back to your potion making? I have some reports to finish writing, if you need a bit of time to finish up.”

Magnus smiled. “I’ll be half an hour, tops.”

“Of course,” Alec agreed easily. “Take as long as you need. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

And that was one of the things Magnus loved about Alec; as busy as things might be at the Institute, Alec never expected him to drop what he was doing when he appeared. He understood that  _Magnus’s_  work mattered too, and when Magnus had to cancel dinner plans because of a warlock emergency meeting, or when he was busy with clients from dawn to dusk and wanted nothing more than to collapse into an armchair and conjure himself a steak at the end of a long day, Alec never complained. He was happy to accommodate Magnus’s schedule, just as Magnus accommodated his, working together to carve out bits of shared time wherever they could.

“I was thinking,” Magnus said, smoothing a fold out of Alec’s lapel, “maybe we could get Indian food for dinner?”

Alec smiled. “That sounds great.”

“Great,” Magnus echoed, smiling back at him. “Give me twenty minutes, and then I’m all yours.”

“OK,” Alec replied, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze before stepping away. “I’ll be in the living room.”

He had one foot on the doorstep when Magnus spoke again. “Alec?” Alec turned to look at him inquiringly. “Please remind Jace that he isn’t allowed to drive— _especially_  not when my boyfriend is in the car.”

Alec grinned, eyes bright as he stood on the threshold. “Don’t worry, I don’t think Simon will be letting Jace get behind the wheel again anytime soon; he almost crashed the van into a telephone pole on the way over here. I haven’t seen Simon look that horrified since the time Jace asked him what Star Wars was.”

Magnus chuckled. “Now  _that_  I believe.”


End file.
